Aims of the POSEI scheme

The programme of options specifically relating to remoteness and insularity (POSEI) supports the European Union's outermost regions which face specific challenges due to remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography or climate. It also supports those that are economically dependent on only a few products.

The name POSEI comes from the French acronym programme d'options spécifiques à l'éloignement et l'insularité.

Outermost regions

The outermost regions of the EU are:

• France: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Saint-Martin, and Mayotte
• Portugal: the Azores and Madeira
• Spain: the Canary Islands.

The outermost regions are an integral part of the EU.

Supporting agriculture

Due to their specific characteristics and related challenges, the EU supports agriculture in the outermost regions. Through the POSEI scheme, the EU aims to:

• guarantee the supply of essential agricultural products for human consumption, mitigating the costs incurred due to extreme remoteness, without harming local production;
• secure the development of the ‘livestock’ and ‘crop-diversification’ sectors, including the production, processing and sale of local products;
• maintain and strengthen the competitiveness of traditional agricultural activities, including the production, processing and marketing of local crops and products.

The outermost regions give the EU a very wide maritime territory, a broader range of biodiversity and a more diverse economy, supplying agricultural products such as bananas, rum, cane sugar, and other exotic fruit and vegetables to European consumers. In addition, the outermost regions are a valuable asset for EU relations with neighbouring non-EU countries.

Funding

The POSEI measures, which are funded from the European agricultural guarantee fund (EAGF), include:

• specific supply arrangements, aimed at mitigating the costs of supplying essential products for human consumption and for processing and agricultural inputs;
• measures to support local agricultural production.

The financial allocations (per year) for the POSEI programme amount to €268.42 million for Spain, €278.41 million for France and €106.21 million for Portugal.

Legal basis

The following legislation sets out how the EU implements POSEI:

• Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union outlines how the outermost regions are defined;
• EU Regulation 228/2013 on specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union.